Tablets, Smartphones Welcome In Some Schools

Not so long ago, most school districts had very strict policies: Leave your cellphones and laptops at home.

The schools would provide any technology a student needed. Often, there wasn't much.

But now with districts racing to adopt 21st-century learning techniques while facing budget realities, educators are starting to rethink how they view the gadgets kids bring to school.

"We go on the premise that if they can use it for the Web, you don't have to worry about which device they bring," said Christopher Troetti, principal at Bethel High School.

Last year, the district decided to allow high school students to bring to school any online devices they had — smartphone, tablet or laptop — for use in class as teachers saw fit.

"We said, 'Let's give it a shot and see what happens,'" Troetti said. "We treated our kids like adults … but don't get me wrong, there were a lot of bumps."

In Newington, Superintendent of Schools William Collins unveiled his new technology plan at graduation in June 2011.

"I said that starting in September, we'll no longer be pulling cellphones out of your hands — we will be encouraging you to bring them in and use them. You could hear the gasps," Collins said. "We hadn't broken it to the teachers either. You could have heard a pin drop."

But when students began bringing in their smartphones, laptops and tablets, Collins said, "not only did the world not come to an end, but it was also very productive."

Accepting Reality

Increasingly, educators are realizing that it makes no sense to stop students from using the digital tools they use outside of school.

"The future of learning and work is digital, and it's obviously sort of an anachronism to prepare them for that world with 'print' schooling, but the economic viability of buying every kid a device is simply not possible in this economic climate," said Jonathan P. Costa Sr., director of school services for the Education Connection, a Litchfield-based regional education service center.

Justin Reich, a fellow with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, said that for many students, school "is the only place where they are told to power down."

If a kid wants to solve a problem out of school, he typically checks his smartphone where the world is at his fingertips, as well as all the people he knows, Reich said.

"In school, we say don't check your phone," Reich said. "Everywhere else in the world, they are allowed to check their phones. Why not let them do it in school?"

Costa said that 18 months ago, only one or two districts in New England had "bring-your-own" policies. Now, he estimates that 200 districts do.

State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said the emergence of "bring-your-own" policies in various districts is "an important development. It remains to be seen how well technology of this kind can be integrated into the classroom, but it's an important development."

In Connecticut, some of the districts adopting "bring-your-own" programs provide unequipped students with a device to use in class, while others do not.

Still, while many Connecticut districts have developed technology plans that include the exploration of a bring your own plan, less affluent communities are at a disadvantage, said Doug Casey, director of information technology for the Capitol Region Education Council.

"If you can do that, great," he said, but "you need to be able to provide the kinds of resources to make up for the shortfall."

In Bethel, the plan is to ensure that every student has a device, Troetti said, but teachers have managed well when not every student has one. To overcome this, teachers have students work in small groups, sharing their smartphones or laptops, or teachers have the students fill in the gaps with school-owned laptops or tablet computers.

Megan Marx, a senior at Bethel High School, said she brings her laptop to school on days when she knows she'll be doing a lot of note-taking or writing an essay.

Carlota Charles, also a senior at Bethel High, said she really likes having her laptop or iPad in class. "If a teacher is talking about something in history class or English class and I want to know more about it, I can open up the Internet and become more informed."

"It really helps me to focus on school and learn more,'' she said.

Teaching With Technology

In Newington, where students now bring their own technology to school, students who don't have devices can check them out of the library.

"Really, it's not about everybody pulling out the same computer at the same time and doing the same thing," said Collins, Newington superintendent. "It's not about teaching about technology; it's teaching with technology."

Cheshire has taken a more cautious approach. Last year, the district tried out a bring your own policy in five classrooms with about 150 kids. Scott Detrick, assistant superintendent, said that kids tended to bring devices with keyboards because it was easier to use them in class.